Error message on boot up

[Tigginz]

For some reason today Vista decided that it didn't like me. On boot, I get
the message that windows failed to load because the system registry file is
missing or corrupt (status: 0xc000014c). After searching the discussions,
here's what I've tried - note the result is always this error.

1. Try getting the DVD drive to load using my Vista DVD. I did this by
asking the BIOS to read the CD-Rom drive to boot from. There is no option to
boot from the DVD drive in the BIOS.

2. Try starting in Safe mode, Safe mode with networking, Safe mode w/
command prompt, LKG config, and normally. Same error screen.

3. I can get a screen "Windows Boot Manager" asking me to choose an
operating system, of which Vista is the only choice. Below is a memory
diagnostic which I've run and passed. Asking to start Vista gets the same
error screen.

Thus, I'm out of options as to how to get the system to start...period. Any
ideas on how I might go about fixing this?

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Tigginz.

For a start, please give us a few basic facts: Make and model of your
computer, or the motherboard if you built it yourself? How many hard
drives; their interface(s) (IDE, SATA, etc.); which version of Vista,
including whether 32-bit or 64-bit...such basic information as that so that
we have a starting point to try to help you.

In particular...

3. I can get a screen "Windows Boot Manager" asking me to choose

Have you ever had more than one operating system installed on this computer?
WinXP? Linux?

That'll get us started. We'll probably have more questions later.

My first guess on limited information is that you've changed the HD line-up
in some way, perhaps as simply as by plugging in a new USB flash drive,
which has shuffled your "drive" letters, making the system look for the
right files in the wrong places.


RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1)

 

[Tigginz]

I've responded to each of your questions below in your text. Thanks ahead of
time for the help!

On a side note, I have a 2GB USB acting as a Boostdrive (or whatever the
term is). However, I haven't put any new USB connections in before the whole
thing came to a screeching halt.

For a start, please give us a few basic facts:

1.) Make and model of your computer: A Dell XPS Gen 5 dual core
2.) How many hard drives: 2 hard drives running a performance RAID
configuration
3.) (IDE, SATA, etc.): This one I'm not sure of, probably SATA
4.) Vista version? 32 bit Ultimate, upgraded from Business. This whole
system was upgraded from XP.

Have you ever had more than one operating system installed on this computer?

Upgraded from XP to Vista Business originally, then to Ultimate. I know,
messy.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Tigginz.

Comments inline...

I've responded to each of your questions below in your text. Thanks ahead
of
time for the help!

On a side note, I have a 2GB USB acting as a Boostdrive (or whatever the
term is). However, I haven't put any new USB connections in before the
whole
thing came to a screeching halt.

A ReadyBoost drive does claim a "drive" letter, so adding one to an existing
setup MIGHT change the letters by which Vista refers to existing drives. I
always use Disk Management to (semi-)permanently assign letters so that if I
unplug a USB drive (for example) and then plug it in again later, DM will
assign it the same letter if possible. My ReadyBoost drive is R:, the
SanDisk SD card reader is S:, the DVD writer is W:, etc. Also, I assign
names (labels) to each volume when I can; these get written to the drive and
don't change, even if D:\Data becomes F:\Data at some point.

1.) Make and model of your computer: A Dell XPS Gen 5 dual core

I'm not familiar with Dell model numbers, but I'm sure others here will
recognize it.

2.) How many hard drives: 2 hard drives running a performance RAID
configuration

I assume that "performance RAID" means RAID 0, which stripes data onto two
or more drives for speed of access. As opposed to RAID 1, which writes all
the data to 2 drives, like a mirror, for data safety through redundancy.

3.) (IDE, SATA, etc.): This one I'm not sure of, probably SATA

Please be sure, because this probably goes to the heart of the particular
problem you are having. Because of legacy factors, most motherboards always
see IDE drives first, before looking for SCSI or SATA or other interfaces.
Even now, most CD/DVD drives are IDE, even if the hard drives are SATA.

Many users have unplugged their old HDs, then plugged in their new SATA
drive and installed Vista on it, then plugged in their old drives again.
When the computer reboots, it looks first for IDE drives and sees the old
ones - and never sees the nice new Vista installation on the SATA drive. It
sounds like your problem is something like this, even if not exactly like
it.

So it is important to know your complete drive configuration: How many HDs?
What interfaces? How are they partitioned and formatted? How about optical
drives, USB drives and any other devices that are assigned "drive" letters?

4.) Vista version? 32 bit Ultimate, upgraded from Business. This whole
system was upgraded from XP.

OK. It probably would help if we know the exact upgrade path, from WinXP to
Vista Business and from Vista Business to Vista Ultimate.

Upgraded from XP to Vista Business originally, then to Ultimate. I know,
messy.

Not messy if done properly, but easy to make a wrong sidestep.

What I really meant was whether you are - or ever were - dual-booting
multiple operating systems at the same time. Your mention of the boot
manager triggered that question. Most users never even know that file
exists. It is used to select between WinXP and Vista, for example, if both
are installed on the same computer. Or between Vista Business and Vista
Ultimate, if both are installed at one time.

I've been dual-booting for years and it works very well when installed
properly. But it is the topic of many threads here because it's very easy
to do it wrong, and not always easy to recover. It is so easy to create a
dual-boot system that some users have done it unintentionally. So I wanted
to know if your system has ever been set up for dual-booting.


This comment was related to our topic 3, above. This kind of problem is not
new; it has cropped up often, even when all the drives were IDE. Windows
(any version) would complain that ntoskrnl.exe was corrupted or missing.
Usually we found that the file was fine and in the right place - but the
startup process was looking for it in the wrong place. All we had to do was
correct the pointers in the startup files and things were fine. A common
cause for the confusion was that one or more drives or partitions had been
added or removed since Windows was installed.

On boot, I get
the message that windows failed to load because the system registry file
is
missing or corrupt (status: 0xc000014c).

On re-reading your first post, I see that the complaint is not what I first
thought. Could you please post the entire error message, not just that one
code. All my comments are valid, but I may have headed down a wrong alley.
Did you get:
STOP 0x00000074 (0x00000003, 0x00000002, 0x80087000, 0xc000014c)

Or some other Stop code?



OK. I'll wait for your response to see if you need more guidance - or if we
need still more info.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1)

 

[Tigginz]

More comments inline to your inline.

I assume that "performance RAID" means RAID 0, which stripes data onto two
or more drives for speed of access. As opposed to RAID 1, which writes all
the data to 2 drives, like a mirror, for data safety through redundancy.

You're correct here, the data was not mirrored, but striped onto the two
separate drives (RAID 0).

Okay, both drives are SATA, still the original drives. I've never unplugged
or switched drives. The were listed as C: and D:, my CD-ROM drive as E:, my
DVD drive as F:, and the ReadyBoost as G: or H:. I'm not sure of their
partitioning, however, and Dell doesn't specify in my original order (from a
little ways back).

OK. It probably would help if we know the exact upgrade path, from WinXP to
Vista Business and from Vista Business to Vista Ultimate.

Not sure what you mean here, but originally XP professional was the OS, then
I upgraded to Vista business. Finally I upgraded to Ultimate, all upgrades
went very smoothly, worked without problems.

I was not utilizing a dual OS setup. When Vista was installed, it took the
place of XP.

On re-reading your first post, I see that the complaint is not what I first
thought. Could you please post the entire error message, not just that one
code. All my comments are valid, but I may have headed down a wrong alley.
Did you get:
STOP 0x00000074 (0x00000003, 0x00000002, 0x80087000, 0xc000014c)

Or some other Stop code?

I didn't get the stop code you indicated. Specifically, the machine would
begin to boot up, then stop stating that "windows failed to load because the
system registry file is missing or corrupt". Below that is: (status:
0xc000014c)

Hope this helps, and I appreciate all of your help. Somewhere on those
drives are my dissertation research, so I'm hoping this is all "fixable"!

 

[Tigginz]

As an update in case anyone else runs across this problem:

Eventually I would get a pci.sys error when I tried to boot from a WixXP
disc. Turns out that a driver needed to successfully install was only
included on SP2. Thus, I needed to construct a slipstreamed XP installation
disc. This allowed me to install XP and get things moving again.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Tigginz.

Wow! I'm glad you found the problem and solved it. ;<)

I kept waiting after your previous reply, hoping that some techie would
chime in with the real answer, but nobody did. Your solution is one that
would not have occurred to me.

Congratulations! And thanks for the report back.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1)